Ben Doherty

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) has described the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran as a “terrifying reminder of how close the world remains to nuclear disaster”, arguing Australia should condemn illegal military attacks and ratify the global treaty banning nuclear weapons.

Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities violate international law, Ican has alleged, and could cause radioactive contamination with long-term consequences for human health and the environment.

“The prospect of radiation release, the erosion of non-proliferation norms, and the emboldening of nuclear-armed states to act without accountability – this is the deadly logic of nuclear deterrence playing out in real time,” said Gem Romuld, the Australian director of Ican, a Nobel prize-winning anti-nuclear group.

“We need urgent de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. Australia should press its allies, particularly the United States, to act responsibly and stop enabling this cycle of violence.”

Israel, the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, is widely believed to be modernising its arsenal. It remains outside the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), but is estimated to have 90 nuclear warheads. Israel has never officially acknowledged that it possesses nuclear weapons.

Iran, which had previously proposed a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, is a state party to the NPT but has now threatened to withdraw. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, insisted Iran’s nuclear programme was peaceful and that it sought an end to hostilities:

Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again – once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed.